SouthComm buys CL Charlotte, says journalism a priority

Sometimes change can be painful and difficult, other times it's welcome. The changes at Creative Loafing over the past week are of the latter variety. If you haven't heard yet, CL Charlotte has been bought by SouthComm, Inc. — the parent company of three other award-winning alt weeklies, the Nashville Scene, Kansas City's Pitch and Louisville's LEO Weekly. The sale took place on Monday, Oct. 10.

What this means for readers and users of CL's Charlotte edition — as well as the Tampa-based Creative Loafing — is that we will no longer be part of the Atlanta flagship Creative Loafing or its more recent acquisitions, Washington City Paper and Chicago Reader. Recall that in 2008, the original owners of Creative Loafing Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; the company was then sold at auction to its largest creditor, Atalaya Capital Management. Atalaya has controlled CL since that time.

What this recent sale means to us is that a real media company owns CL Charlotte again. What it means to you is that you can continue counting on CL to bring you the coolest news in the Charlotte area. SouthComm's other papers indicate the company is interested in quality community journalism. Owner and CEO Chris Ferrell began acquiring community-based media companies after serving as publisher of the Nashville Scene from 2005 to 2007. As a city councilman in Nashville, he was an advocate for issues like affordable housing and anti-discrimination. SouthComm bought CL Charlotte, Ferrell says, for its trusted name.

"Creative Loafing readers can continue to look forward to the best coverage of culture, music and entertainment, as well as the investigative journalism that readers have come to expect over the years," Ferrell promises. "CL is well-read and well-loved, and I'm excited to be part of building on its legacy."

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